We’re going to take a look at which Pac-12 teams are consistent, which ones are on the rise, and which ones are in panic mode.
Consistent
Utah
Utah has arguably been the most consistent team in the Pac-12 in recent years, along with Oregon. They have won back-to-back Pac-12 championships and have made back-to-back Rose Bowls. They still haven’t been able to get over the hump and make the playoff, but they still have a chance. They’ll have to compete with the likes of Oregon, Washington, and an emerging USC program.
Oregon
The Ducks have been consistent ever since the turn of the century. Since then, they have reached ten wins thirteen times and have reached at least seven wins twenty times. They have made the national championship game twice in that time as well, losing both of those games. They return QB Bo Nix for one final season and look to be good again in 2023.
On the Rise
USC
After going 4-8 in 2021, USC fired their coach and lured Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma. Riley brought eventual Heisman-winning QB Caleb Williams and many other talented players with him. They went 11-3 and were one win away from a CFP appearance. Riley has had another offseason to mold this program to his liking, and I am confident they will continue their success into the future.
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Washington
Washington didn’t have the highest expectations coming into 2022, but it should have. They went 11-2 in Kalen DeBoer‘s first season as the head coach for the Huskies. Indiana transfer Michael Penix Jr. also had a standout year and will be back next season. I can see Washington being a very successful program with playoff capabilities in the next few years.
Colorado
This one is strictly based on the talent that Deion Sanders is capable of bringing in. They haven’t accomplished anything yet and are still just a team coming off of a 1-11 season. This won’t be the same team next season that we saw last season, however. Sanders has already brought in five-star recruits, including CB Cormani McClain and CB Travis Hunter, who followed him from Jackson State. I can’t wait to see what the Buffaloes will be capable of in the near future.
Panic Mode
Stanford & California
I’m putting these two together because they are in panic mode for the same reasons. Just like Vanderbilt and Northwestern, these schools can’t keep up with the changing landscape. Their schools are more focused on academics than football, and rightly so. These are top universities in the country that rival Ivy League schools. They don’t have the investments in their programs that are necessary to compete in today’s world of college football. I have even heard talks of these two schools discontinuing their football programs altogether. I hope that isn’t the case.
